In Memoriam: Kara Haughey

HMP lost a gift and true neighborhood champion last month. Many neighbors may remember Kara Haughey as one of the instrumental planners and leaders of the last HMP Home Tour. Kara put in countless hours of preparation and dedication to showcases the beautiful homes in our neighbor. Additionally, Kara was a member of the HMP Board where her good spirit and broad smile helped plan many of the neighborhood events.

In addition to friend to many and neighbor to all, Kara was a wife and mother of 2 beautiful children. Kara and her husband Mat moved to HMP in December 2005 and immediately commenced to endearing themselves to everyone they met. In August 2015, Kara and her family moved to Celebration, FL.

In Florida, Kara loved going to the beach and watching the dolphins. She often played at Disney and Gatorland. She was an avid reader and writer. In Florida, Kara worked at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center as a Development Manager at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. She planned and ran the events at the Kennedy Space Center; Johnson Space Center; and Washington, DC. She also planned events for the Astronaut Hall of Fame and Induction Ceremonies. One would be amazed at how many astronauts Kara knew.

Kara was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, CLL. The American Cancer Society defines CLL as lymphocytic leukemias (also known as lymphoid or lymphoblastic leukemia) which start in the cells that become lymphocytes. Lymphomas are also cancers that start in those cells. The main difference between lymphocytic leukemias and lymphomas is that in leukemia, the cancer cell is mainly in the bone marrow and blood, while in lymphoma it tends to be in lymph nodes and other tissues.

As a tribute to Kara and all her great works, Kara’s family have been afforded the incredible opportunity for Kara to be memorialized and her remains lifted aboard the upcoming Heritage Flight which will launch from Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center later this year. Mat and her children are eternally grateful to Charles Chafer, Co-Founder & CEO of Celestis, Inc., and the entire Celestis team for this amazing opportunity. As more information becomes available and plans are further finalized, the neighborhood will be kept abreast.